Abstract: A process for increasing the softening point of asphalt using an eductor, preheated asphalt is mixed with an input gas in the eductor to form a gas/asphalt mixture. The gas/asphalt mixture is conducted to a heated and pressurized oxidizer vessel via piping connected to the discharge connection of the eductor, where the piping enables a bubble flow pattern to develop therein to enable reaction of the oxygen with the asphalt. The oxygen entrained asphalt mixture is discharged from an exit port of the piping in the oxidizer vessel. The resulting oxidized asphalt product stream has a softening temperature greater than the preheated asphalt feed. The process minimizes the off-gas produced to reduce the carbon footprint.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for separation of particles and/or asphaltenes from heavy hydrocarbon fractions. The heavy hydrocarbon fraction can correspond to a feed including particles or a processing effluent that includes particles. If the heavy hydrocarbon fraction is mixed with lower boiling fractions, a separation can be performed to reduce or minimize the amount of hydrocarbons that are present in the heavy hydrocarbon fraction. The heavy hydrocarbon fraction can then be mixed with a sufficient amount of a separation solvent to cause a phase separation. One phase can correspond to the separation solvent plus a portion of the hydrocarbons. The other phase can correspond to hydrocarbons rejected by the separation solvent plus the particles from the heavy hydrocarbon fraction. The phases can then be separated from each other using a solids-liquid centrifugal separator.

Abstract: Methods are provided for processing deasphalted gas oils derived from thermally cracked resid fractions to form Group I, Group II, and/or Group III lubricant base oils. The yield of lubricant base oils (optionally also referred to as base stocks) can be increased by thermally cracking a resid fraction at an intermediate level of single pass severity relative to conventional methods. By performing thermal cracking to a partial level of conversion, compounds within a resid fraction that are beneficial for increasing both the viscosity and the viscosity index of a lubricant base oil can be retained, thus allowing for an improved yield of higher viscosity lubricant base oils from a thermally cracked resid fraction.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for producing upgraded raffinate and extract products from lubricant boiling range feeds and/or other feeds having a boiling range of 400° F. (204° C.) to 1500° F. (816° C.) or more. The upgraded raffinate and/or extract products can have a reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, metals, or a combination thereof. The reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, and/or metals can be achieved by hydrotreating a suitable feed under hydrotreatment conditions corresponding to relatively low levels of feed conversion. Optionally, the feed can also dewaxed, such as by catalytic dewaxing or by solvent dewaxing. Because excessive aromatic saturation is not desired, the pressure for hydrotreatment (and optional dewaxing) can be 500 psig (˜3.4 MPa) to 1200 psig (˜8.2 MPa).

Abstract: Methods are provided for processing deasphalted gas oils derived from thermally cracked resid fractions to form Group I, Group II, and/or Group III lubricant base oils. The yield of lubricant base oils (optionally also referred to as base stocks) can be increased by thermally cracking a resid fraction at an intermediate level of single pass severity relative to conventional methods. By performing thermal cracking to a partial level of conversion, compounds within a resid fraction that are beneficial for increasing both the viscosity and the viscosity index of a lubricant base oil can be retained, thus allowing for an improved yield of higher viscosity lubricant base oils from a thermally cracked resid fraction.

Abstract: Methods are provided for forming lubricant base stocks from feeds such as vacuum resid or other 510° C.+ feeds. A feed can be deasphalted and then catalytically and/or solvent processed to form lubricant base stocks, including bright stocks that are resistant to haze formation.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for upgrading catalytic slurry oil. The upgrading can be performed by deasphalting the catalytic slurry oil to form a deasphalted oil and a residual or rock fraction. The deasphalted oil can then be hydroprocessed to form an upgraded effluent that includes fuels boiling range products.

Abstract: A method for producing pitch can include: hydroprocessing a challenged feed from a refinery operation to produce a hydroprocessed product; distilling the hydroprocessed product to yield one or more upgraded fractions and a resid fraction; and solvent deasphalting the resid fraction to yield a deasphalted oil stream and a hydroprocessed pitch stream. The resultant pitch can have a micro carbon residue (MCR) of 50 wt % or greater, a solubility in toluene of 95 wt % or greater, and a softening point of 200° C. or less. The pitch can optionally be fluxed with a fluxing solvent.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for using a three-product deasphalter to produce advantageous combinations of deasphalted oil, resin, and rock. The desaphalted oil, resin, and rock can then be further combined, optionally with other vacuum gas oil fractions produced during the distillation that generated the feed to the three-product deasphalter, to produce a product slate of improved quality while also maintaining the quality of the resulting asphalt product and reducing or minimizing the amount of lower value products generated. The additional “resin” product from the three product deasphalter can be generated by sequential deasphalting, by using a resin settler to separate resin from the deasphalted oil, or by any other convenient method.

Abstract: Methods are provided for producing lubricant base stocks from deasphalted oils formed by sequential deasphalting. The deasphalted oil can be exposed a first deasphalting process using a first solvent that can provide a lower severity of deasphalting and a second deasphalting process using a second solvent that can provide a higher severity of deasphalting. This can result in formation of at least a deasphalted oil and a resin fraction. The resin fraction can represent a fraction that traditionally would have been included as part of a deasphalter rock fraction.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for producing upgraded raffinate and extract products from lubricant boiling range feeds and/or other feeds having a boiling range of 400° F. (204° C.) to 1500° F. (816° C.) or more. The upgraded raffinate and/or extract products can have a reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, metals, or a combination thereof. The reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, and/or metals can be achieved by hydrotreating a suitable feed under hydrotreatment conditions corresponding to relatively low levels of feed conversion. Optionally, the feed can also dewaxed, such as by catalytic dewaxing or by solvent dewaxing. Because excessive aromatic saturation is not desired, the pressure for hydrotreatment (and optional dewaxing) can be 500 psig (˜3.4 MPa) to 1200 psig (˜8.2 MPa).

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for producing upgraded raffinate and extract products from lubricant boiling range feeds and/or other feeds having a boiling range of 400° F. (204° C.) to 1500° F. (816° C.) or more. The upgraded raffinate and/or extract products can have a reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, metals, or a combination thereof. The reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, and/or metals can be achieved by hydrotreating a suitable feed under hydrotreatment conditions corresponding to relatively low levels of feed conversion. Optionally, the feed can also dewaxed, such as by catalytic dewaxing or by solvent dewaxing. Because excessive aromatic saturation is not desired, the pressure for hydrotreatment (and optional dewaxing) can be 500 psig (˜3.4 MPa) to 1200 psig (˜8.2 MPa).

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for using a three-product deasphalter to produce advantageous combinations of deasphalted oil, resin, and rock. The desaphalted oil, resin, and rock can then be further combined, optionally with other vacuum gas oil fractions produced during the distillation that generated the feed to the three-product deasphalter, to produce a product slate of improved quality while also maintaining the quality of the resulting asphalt product and reducing or minimizing the amount of lower value products generated. The additional “resin” product from the three product deasphalter can be generated by sequential deasphalting, by using a resin settler to separate resin from the deasphalted oil, or by any other convenient method.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for upgrading catalytic slurry oil. The upgrading can be performed by deasphalting the catalytic slurry oil to form a deasphalted oil and a residual or rock fraction. The deasphalted oil can then be hydroprocessed to form an upgraded effluent that includes fuels boiling range products.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for producing upgraded raffinate and extract products from lubricant boiling range feeds and/or other feeds having a boiling range of 400° F. (204° C.) to 1500° F. (816° C.) or more. The upgraded raffinate and/or extract products can have a reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, metals, or a combination thereof. The reduced or minimized concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, and/or metals can be achieved by hydrotreating a suitable feed under hydrotreatment conditions corresponding to relatively low levels of feed conversion. Optionally, the feed can also dewaxed, such as by catalytic dewaxing or by solvent dewaxing. Because excessive aromatic saturation is not desired, the pressure for hydrotreatment (and optional dewaxing) can be 500 psig (˜3.4 MPa) to 1200 psig (˜8.2 MPa).

Abstract: Methods are provided for forming lubricant base stocks from feeds such as vacuum resid or other 510° C.+ feeds. A feed can be deasphalted and then catalytically and/or solvent processed to form lubricant base stocks, including bright stocks that are resistant to haze formation.

Abstract: Methods are provided for forming lubricant base stocks from feeds such as vacuum resid or other 510° C.+ feeds. A feed can be deasphalted and then catalytically and/or solvent processed to form lubricant base stocks, including bright stocks that are resistant to haze formation.

Abstract: Methods are provided for forming lubricant base stocks from feeds such as vacuum resid or other 510° C.+ feeds. A feed can be deasphalted and then catalytically and/or solvent processed to form lubricant base stocks, including bright stocks. The catalytic processing can correspond to processing in at least two stages. The amount of conversion performed in each stage can be varied to produce bright stocks with various properties.

Abstract: Methods are provided for producing lubricant base stocks from deasphalted oils formed by sequential deasphalting. The deasphalted oil can be exposed a first deasphalting process using a first solvent that can provide a lower severity of deasphalting and a second deasphalting process using a second solvent that can provide a higher severity of deasphalting. This can result in formation of at least a deasphalted oil and a resin fraction. The resin fraction can represent a fraction that traditionally would have been included as part of a deasphalter rock fraction.

Abstract: Methods are provided for processing deasphalted gas oils derived from thermally cracked resid fractions to form Group I, Group II, and/or Group III lubricant base oils. The yield of lubricant base oils (optionally also referred to as base stocks) can be increased by thermally cracking a resid fraction at an intermediate level of single pass severity relative to conventional methods. By performing thermal cracking to a partial level of conversion, compounds within a resid fraction that are beneficial for increasing both the viscosity and the viscosity index of a lubricant base oil can be retained, thus allowing for an improved yield of higher viscosity lubricant base oils from a thermally cracked resid fraction.